


What the Future Holds

by mizufallsfromkumo



Category: Common Law
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Kid Fic, M/M, Older!Wes, Original Character(s), Pre-Slash, Time Travel, Time Traveling!Travis, future relationship, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-22 00:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizufallsfromkumo/pseuds/mizufallsfromkumo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Travis didn’t know how to explain it, but for some reason he had the ability, well it wasn’t really an ability, it was more of an inconvenience.  Like some universal power decided send him on little trips to be like “this could be your life if you don’t screw it up,” or as it was when he was younger, as he later realized when he aged, sent an older version of himself to slap him with some advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What the Future Holds

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea so I wrote it. It's kind of a fail...
> 
> Figured I should post this before I finish writing three Castle AU fics.

Travis was chasing a suspect down an alley way in broad daylight, rounding around a corner ready to sprint, when there’s a slight tingle down he’s spine.  He doesn’t have to time to fully register it, before he’s tripping over a hose and landing face first on the grassy ground with a bit of a yelp.  A light flickered on from the sudden movement, which told Travis it wasn’t broad day light anymore.  He groaned when he realized what happened. 

Just what he need in his life at this moment, a surprise trip through time from the universe.  Travis didn’t know how to explain it, but for some reason he had the ability, well it wasn’t really an ability, it was more of an inconvenience.  Like some universal power decided send him on little trips to be like “this could be your life if you don’t screw it up,” or as it was when he was younger, as he later realized when he aged, sent an older version of himself to slap him with some advice.  It wasn’t exactly fun or cool, it was more annoying and inconvenient.  At least it dumps him back in a reasonable spot, only a few minutes or so had passed.  He’s always been lucky it’s when no one is around or looking, apparently the universe knows when to pluck him to not cause a sudden panic.  Travis wished he knew why, but it’s just something he does.

A dog barked and he cursed, pushing himself up to high tail it out of there before someone found a strange man in their backyard.  However, a German Sheppard came barreling around the side of the house, growling and generally sound like it was going to kill him, before he can get to his feet.  But then it paused and wagged its tail happily before charges at Travis and licking his face.  Travis blinked, slightly confused, but he lightly pushed the dog away as he petted the dogs neck.  A sharp and short whistle had the dog barreling back to its owner, who looked like they were pressed against the side of the house peering around the corner.

“Travis?”  Came a familiar voice. 

“Wes?”  Travis questioned as he got to his feet and brushed off some of the grass. 

Was he at Wes’ house?  He turned to the side and glance behind him, but he didn’t recognize the yard or the house as the one he had when he was with Alex.  That told Travis he wasn’t in the past, which caused him to curse a bit.  Damn, he had been sent forward, something that had only happened once or twice before…or that’s what he figured happened. 

It wasn’t confirmed until Wes seemed to sigh and step into the light when he rounded the house.  His partner had to be at least ten years older than he was in Travis’ present time.  He had age to his face, and his hair seemed to the thinning, not horribly, but just enough for Travis to see.  Wes is dressed in sweats and a plain t-shirt, with a thin robe handing around his smaller frame.

“How…” Wes said glancing at the house before he cut himself off.  “You’re an asshole, you know that, Travis.”  Wes snapped suddenly, crossing his arms.  “A real, top of the line, class A dick too.”

“You’ve mention that before, without so many words.”  Travis said with a weak smile as he neared his older partner. 

Wes gave him a hard glare, the slowly softened into a kinder one.  It was the exact opposite of what Travis expected.  He figured the man would noticed his youth and be surprised by it, not have a sort of fondness to his face.  Still, Wes’ eyes still scanned his face like he couldn’t believe it that Travis was suddenly so young, but he snorted and rubbed the back of his neck like he did when he was slightly nervous or embarrassed.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t be mad at you, well I should be mad at you, but not _you_.”  Wes said gesturing towards Travis.

Travis just made an unintelligent sound.

“When you said you’d meet me on the porch in a few,” He gestured again to Travis, “this is not what I was expecting.”  The way Wes is talking, it’s like he knows about the random trips that happen from time to time.

“Wait, you know?!”  Travis said a bit shocked.

“You disappeared in my car once, only to reappear a few minutes later in my back seat with a bloody nose.  Apologizing and saying you had to yell at yourself for drag racing.”  Wes said with a bit of a grin and sigh.  Wes motioned with for Travis to follow him as he led the way back to the porch.  “It wasn’t really much of a secret after that.” 

Travis made a sound.  He remembered when that happened.  He had been a smart ass seventeen year old who thought he was invincible and fast.  He has socked his future self, who has warned him he was going to get arrested if he kept it all up, square in the nose before he stormed off.  It was that night he had gone just a little faster and raced a little harder to prove to himself that he wouldn’t be arrested, and the next thing he knew he was in handcuffs being read his Miranda Rights.  He had kind of regretted punching himself in the face, and dreaded the day when it would happen for him.  Apparently it was when Wes around so that was probably going to be fun to have to explain to his partner.

Shaking the thoughts away, he followed Wes onto the porch.  It was nice solid wooded one that had steps down to a lower concrete platform with a pool and a shed attached to it.  They pass some French doors, which allowed Travis to peck into the house.  He can see the kitchen, which is orderly and shiny looking, and a long dining room table closer by.  There was a small seating area, as well, across from the kitchen, as well a hallway that Travis could see the front door through.   It looked like a house Wes would live in, however there is a feeling that it’s not all Wes’.   The dog comes trotting up behind them, racing ahead to spring upon to a lounge patio chair, curling up towards the end.  Wes plopped down beside it, motioning Travis to sit in the one beside it, as he reached for a wine glass.

“Want something to drink?”  Wes asked from behind his glass. 

Travis shook his head.  “I’m still on duty…sort of.”

“God forbid I gave you water.”  Wes smiled out before taking a sip from his glass.  Travis chuckled but still shook his head.  “Fine, suit yourself.”  Wes swallowed and put his glass down on the small table between the two chairs.  “Who were you chasing?”

Travis turned to him, wondering how in the world the man knew he was chasing someone, but the look Wes gave him told him to just get to the point.  “Uh…some guy named Alberto Jones.”

“I remember him,” Wes said with a bit of a grin, before he scowled and turned to Travis.  “He thought he gave us the slip because you…wound up here…but then I chased his ass down.  He ruined one of my suits.”  Wes paused for a moment and glanced down at Travis shirt.  “And I ruined that shirt.”  Wes seemed to grin at the memory

“What, why, how?!”  Travis asked.

“You were looking at me funny and…well you’ll find out.”  Wes said waving it off with a chuckle, reaching out to scratch the dog’s head.  The dog’s ears flatting against its head, and its tail thumbing on the chair a bit, it seemed happy for the attention.

Travis watched Wes for a few moments as a silence settled.  He doesn’t know why he’s there with Wes.  Usually the universe dumps him on himself.  Never before had it really deposited him somewhere else with someone else form his life.  So why the hell is he on Wes’ porch?  With Wes’ dog and Wes’ furniture, and absolutely no him in sight. 

However, there was something different about Wes, beyond just the age.  For one he seemed happier.  No a drunk happy, a general living better everyday sort of happy.  Like he’s moved on past Alex and gotten himself a new home and companion to keep him for losing it.  Wes is a practical person as well, he doesn’t need to have a big house for show anymore, and the house is too large and grand to be just Wes and dog.  Plus there are some lights on upstairs, which Travis knew Wes wouldn’t just leave on, so there is bound to be some other people in the house.   Travis doesn’t want to say anything until he knows for sure, but then he sees it on Wes’ hand.   The simple silver ring on his partner’s ring finger.  It was similar to the one he wore when he was married to Alex, not anything over the top or flashy, just a simple ban.

“Hey, you’re married.” Travis smiled out oddly.

Wes made a sound, pausing to turn to Travis, before he glanced down at his hand.  “Uh…yeah.”  Wes said awkwardly.   He smiled oddly, the fond sort of look he had given Travis earlier, only Wes was looking at everything but Travis.

“Nice, you finally moved one from Alex.”  Travis said grinning and nodded.  Wes just rolled his eyes and shot him bit of glare.  “Took you long enough.”  Wes snorted and leaned back into his chair more.  “Tell me I introduced you to them and you didn’t meet them at random…or online.”

Wes looked at Travis like he was crazy, before giving a snort and scratching at his chin.  However before he could say anything, one of the French doors opened.  “Dad,” come a small voice as the door eased open more.  Wes whipped around and sprang up from his seat, while Travis leaned to get a better view of who was coming through the door.

“Baby girl, why aren’t you in bed?”  Wes ushered quickly in a soft voice. 

Travis watched as Wes squatted in front of young girl dressed in a princes nightgown, who couldn’t older than four.  She didn’t look like she was related to him in a way, but for all Travis knew maybe she got all her looks from her mother.  She didn’t answer him at first, just sort of wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him.   Wes sighed, and scooped her up into her arms, holding her as she rested her head on his shoulder.  Wes turned to Travis and gave him apologizing look, but Travis just grinned.  He never thought he would see Wes being a father figure, and it was kind of cute to his strict partner just kind give into the will of his daughter.

“I put you to bed, why aren’t you sleeping?”  Wes asked gently when she lifted her head up from his shoulder.

“I was, but then I got scared,” The little girl said tiredly.  “I went to ask Daddy if he could make some warm milk, but he disappeared before I could ask him.  So I went to find you.”  She ducked back into Wes’ neck, and he hushed her slightly.  Travis raised an eyebrow slightly.  Wes married a man apparently.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” Wes said smoothly as he ran a hand along her hair.  “I’m sure Daddy’ll be back in a few minutes.”  Wes said giving Travis a brief look, a look that made him feel like he had to remember make warm milk for some little girl in a princess nightie.   “How about you take Salomon up to your room, to scare anything away, and have Christina tuck you in again?”

“Salomon can sleep on my bed?!”  The little girl said excitedly.

Wes smiled and laughed.  “Just for tonight.”

The little girl hugged Wes’ neck tightly, before he set her down and she clapped her little hands.  The dog, Salomon, it totally sounded like a name Wes would pick out for a dog, hopped off the edge of the lounge chair and trotted over to the little girl happily.  She patted the dog on the back before he turned slightly and noticed Travis.  She gave him a confused look, like her brain was trying to process something.  However Wes ushers her along when he notice her staring. 

“Sophie, it’s rude to stare.”  Wes scowled quickly as he ushered the girl and Salomon to the door.

She tore her gaze away from Travis with a confused look; Wes pushed her into the threshold of the house.  However, before he managed to close the door, Travis managed to hear her mutter out “Why does that man look so much like Daddy from old photos before you two really liked each other?”  Wes muttered something as he urged her on into the house, before closing the door.  He seemed to watch her disappear up the stairs or something.

It hit Travis like a train. 

He’s at Wes’ house, because it’s _their_ house.  With _their_ dog, and _their_ children and they’re _married._   Travis is married to Wes, and vice versa.  That means at some point they became more than police partners, and maybe couples therapy became more about their actual love life than just their partnership.  Travis never really pictured himself settling down; he never said he didn’t ever want to.  He always figured when he found the right someone, he would let it happen.  But, he never thought in his life it would be Wes.  Wes is attractive, but they clash and their partnership hardly worked as it was.  Maybe the sex helped, or therapy really is magic.

A part of him suddenly remembers some words an old man told him when he was ten and plucking flower petals in the park.  “ _This little crush is nothing.  One day you’re going to meet someone who will fight you on just about everything, and you two will fight over things, you didn’t know you could fight over.  They’ll drive you crazy.  You won’t think much of it at first, just be friends and co-works, but then it will hit you, and you’ll love till the end of time.”_   Now that he was older, he figured the old man was probably himself, but he can’t be sure till the universe throws him back in time when he’s ancient.  Still the words are fitting his life pretty well.

“I take it we’re married.”  Travis said with an awkward grin.  He doesn’t think of Wes like this, because he told himself not to, and respected that no-fly area.

“Eight years in August.”  Wes admits with a sigh as he rubbed his chin.  “It feels longer though.”  He walked back to the lounge seat he had been in earlier and sunk down slowly.  Travis kind of cracked a small smile at that, but there are times where it feels like they are married.  “Sorry, you always told me to make sure to keep future information like that as out of the conversation as I could.”

“To be fair, Sophie led me on.”  Travis said with a small grin.  Wes gave a little bit of a breathless laugh at that.  “So I take it we work in a romantic sense.”

“We have our moments.”  Wes admits after giving Travis a weird look, almost like he was embarrassed for Travis or something, then smiling.  “And other times we have Dr. Ryan on speed dial.  But, we’ve always worked Travis, no matter what the sense.”

A silence settled on the two of them, the night air still around them.  Travis glanced around the yard oddly, still finding it hard to wrap his mind around the fact that he has all this with Wes by his side.    Wes fiddled with the ends of his robe, seeming to let the weight of the future lay on Travis a bit.  A loud knock suddenly raddled the French doors, causing both Travis and Wes to jump.   Travis sprang to his feet for some reason, while Wes just whipped around.  An older version of himself is grinning from behind the door, he opened the door chuckling.

“You’re a real dick.”  Wes snapped stubbornly as he crossed his arms.  “You make one comment and I’ll throw this glass of wine at you.”

“What crawled up our ass this evening, baby?”  The older version of Travis grinned out, while Wes just growled and glared.  “Don’t worry; he won’t actually throw the wine glass.”  The older version said glancing at Travis with a wink.  “Trust me.”  Travis does, because he figures he’s going off memory.

“Asshole.”  Wes growled.  “Where the hell did you go?”

“Our wedding.  I had to assure myself that we work, and that it’s a good idea to marry you.  No regrets.”  Older Travis said easily.

“Don’t even try.  I’m pissed at you.”

“You know I remember being nervous, but I don’t remember being _that_ nervous.”  Older Travis said with a roll of his eyes.  “Trust me, he’s worth it, as hard as that maybe to believe.”

“I do,” Travis said with a bit of grin. 

Watching the interaction between the two seemed like it was still the interactions they had currently.  Only Wes was a little more expressive and open, slightly childish in a way that is kind of adorable, but all in all it’s still the same.  Wes and him still argue it seems, but there is no doubt that they don’t work and balance each other out. 

Wes snapped at the older version of Travis to make warm milk for Sophie and find some way to attempt to explain to her what happened, but Older Travis just seemed to wave him off.  He pushed through the French doors and walk over to stand beside Wes.  Almost instantly Wes is speaking in a slightly calmer tone, about something in their lives doesn’t know about.  Older Travis just bent over to kiss the top of Wes’ head and mutter something, that has Wes glaring again, with a smile on his lips as their fingers tangle together.

“Oh, before you go, you might want to start running.”  Older Travis said, suddenly turned glance up at Travis.  Before Travis can ask why, his older self is holding up a hand.  “Just do it, trust me, it will help.”  Travis suddenly feels the tingle in his spine and bolts across the porch.  “See you at our wedding.”

In a matter of seconds, his feet aren’t slamming against wood, but rather the concrete of on LA alleyway. It’s broad daylight again, and while he’s not sure where he is exactly, he rounds the corner onto the side wake and as their suspect rounds around a street corner.  Travis charges forward and tackles Alberto to the ground, giving a victorious laugh.  He’s cuffing him he hears Wes’ speeding footsteps come to a stop by him.

He grinned up at Wes, to find the man covered in blue paint.  It looked like Alberto had tossed it at him to slow him down. Travis bites back a bit of a laugh, Wes was probably going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, Travis did not want to make it any worse for himself.  Though he understood what future Wes meant by Alberto ruining one of his suits. 

“Where the hell did you disappear too?!”  Wes growled angrily, scowling at his suit, as Travis rose to his feet.

Travis opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.  His hit by the sudden image of Wes’ and his fingers tangled together, and his throat goes dry.  It hits him again.  Wes is the man he settles down with and has a family with.  He loves him, has for a while even.  _Oh God._

“What the hell is that look for?”  Wes said oddly, slightly leaning back from Travis.  “Hello, Earth to Travis.”  Wes snapped.   Travis just stared, dazed as words continued to fail him.

He was knocked of it suddenly, when Wes is wiping his paint covered hands all over Travis’ shirt.  “Hey!”  Travis snapped, but he suddenly understands what future Wes meant again.  He just sort of smiled and laughed while Wes looked at him like he lost his mind.

Travis kind of can’t wait till he disappears from Wes’ car.  Or starts a relationship with Wes for that matter.


End file.
